Asian athletes dominate IWF World Championships

By Andrea Signor

 

Asian athletes from China, Vietnam and People’s Republic of Korea claimed gold as day six of the 2014 International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, came to a close.

 

PRK male athlete Om Yun Chol and Vietnam’s Thach Kim Tuan, both competing in the 56-kilogram weight class, shared the podium after each earned a combined snatch and clean and jerk total of 296 kgs. PRK’s Kim Un Guk easily took the top spot in the 62-kg weight class with a combined total of 325 kgs. Kim’s nearest competitor, Eko Yuli Irawan, competing for Indonesia, took second with a combined total of 316 kgs. Chinese athletes Long Qingquan (56-kg) and Ding Jianjun (62-kg) claimed third place in their respective weight class.

 

“PRK is the strongest rival to China. They have many perfect lifters,” said Ding Jianjun in a news recap provided by IWF. “There was an era when China dominated but now they are the best. The only way we can respond is by training, training and more training.”

 

Chinese female athlete Tan Yayun continued her winning streak after sweeping the snatch, clean and jerk, and claiming a 194-kg total for a first-place finish in the 48-kg weight class. Tan beat Turkey’s Sibel Ozkan Konak who, at 26, has yet to win gold on the world stage. Konak was only 1 kg behind Tan after the snatch and boasts a 115-kg clean and jerk in training, a weight that would have given her the win, but an injury prevented her from attempting more than 105 kgs. Konak had to settle for sharing the second-place podium with Thailand’s Panida Khamsri after both put up totals of 189-kgs.

 

Kazakhstan’s own Zulfiya Chinshanlo dominated the women’s 53-kg weight class with a total of 232 kgs. Hsu Shu-Ching from Taiwan and Li Yajun from China claimed second and third with totals of 218- and 214-kgs, respectively. 

 

U.S. athlete Morghan King, from Seattle, Wash., tied for 10th in the women’s 48-kg weight class with a total of 172-kgs. Derrick Johnson, from Los Angeles, tied for 11th in the men’s 62-kg weight class, totalling 272-kgs. 

 

“USA Weightlifting is excited to send our young athletes to compete against the best in the world,” said USA Weightlifting CEO Michael Massik in a statement released by USAW. “As this is the first qualification event for the 2016 Olympic Games, it is a great opportunity for our athletes to test themselves against the best in the world. It is also a great opportunity for USA Weightlifting and the city of Houston to prepare to host the 2015 IWF World Championships.”

 

The 2014 IWF World Championships continue through Nov. 16.